Scenic Overlook, Next Turn

As the holidays approach, many of us will get into our cars and hit the road for a long drive. Before the road trip even begins, there is a lot of planning and anticipation containing mixed emotions of excitement, anxiety, or dread. The day of, the car is loaded up with suitcases packed frantically the night before. As a family member waits for others to pile into the car, he kicks the tires, making sure they have enough air. Right as the engine turns on, there is a shout from the backseat, “Wait! I forgot something!” Finally, the doors are shut, the heat is turned on, and Siri states that she has found the best route. While the car pulls out of the driveway, questions float in the car, “Is there enough gas?” “Will we get there on time?” “Where will we stop?”

The pieces in the exhibition Road Trip: A Journey through the GW Collection, record the moment when the music is turned on and the monotony of the road begins. It is during this time, no longer in the panic mode of preparing and anticipating, that the mind is at rest and open to contemplate and wander. The surrounding landscape begins to reveal its beauty, and there is a desire to capture these moments often through photography, paintings, songs, poems, or literature.

Karen Margo Lee, Winter Sunrise, 1989. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. GW 

Permanent Collection. MFA Thesis Acquisition, 1989.

Winter Sunrise (1989), painted by Karen Margo Lee, depicts a quiet scene on an empty back road. The hard lines of man-made objects associated with the road – a light post, a street sign, and power lines – are often omitted from a landscape painting, but here they are elevated. These objects, often seen as commonplace and ugly, make the landscape interesting. 

John Baeder, Chicken Chops, 1980. Silkscreen, ed. 219/

250, 16-1/4 x 24-1/2 inches. GW Permanent Collection.

Gift of Jayson D. Pankin, 1994.

In the print Chicken Chops (1980) by John Baeder, the photographer appreciates a diner and its setting. The scene is nostalgic for a time without drive-thrus and corporate chain restaurants. Often along the road, there are moments that the past reveals itself, and we are connected with all those who have driven the same road.

N. Jay Jaffee, Tire Store, n.d. Gelatin silver print. GW 

Permanent Collection. Gift of Gary Granoff, 1985.

The photograph Tire Store by N. Jay Jaffee, shows a worn down building that looks as if it may be on the verge of going out of business. But even here, the photographer stopped, taking a moment to appreciate the odd and kitschy tire shop.










Although often quoted, Ursula K. Le Guin’s words ring true –“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” During the holidays, take a moment to look at this exhibition and discover what artists have found important enough to record during their road trips but also, look, and find pleasure in your own road trip.

Maria Gorbaty, Gallery AssistantRoad Trip: A Journey through the GW Collection is on view through January 31, 2017 on the first floor of GW's Media and Public Affairs Building, 805 21st Street NW.